'Arteta must stop season unravelling after Bayern defeat'
- Published
Arsenal came into the match against Bayern Munich with their season in danger of falling away.
They had given away ground in the title race with Sunday's Premier League defeat by Aston Villa so the Bayern game was an opportunity to get the positive feeling back.
However, Joshua Kimmich鈥檚 header means the Gunners are left with the familiar feeling of what could have been and the accusation that they cannot deal with the high-pressure matches.
Mikel Arteta accepted before the game that most of his side had not been in this situation before and Bayern showed more know-how in the tie.
The result means Arsenal are now winless in nine Champions League away matches from the quarter-finals onwards.
The Gunners started the match well, dealing with Bayern鈥檚 attacks and having large periods of possession themselves.
Gabriel Martinelli had their one big chance of the half and should have done better than shooting straight at Manuel Neuer.
Bayern were a different side after the break and hit the bar and post with Leon Goretzka and Raphael Guerreiro just one minute into the second half, and those chances seemed to set the tone.
Arsenal did not look like scoring in the second half and their final ball let them down with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka having good opportunities to release team-mates but not quite finding the right weight of pass.
The defeat means Arteta will have to pick his side up off the floor as they look to stay in the title race, hoping their rivals drop points while also stopping their season unravelling completely.